Current Contents: Vol. 29 No.2 Spring/Summer 2015

This issue includes one article and six activities, covering upper elementary, middle and high school, as well as undergraduate.

Do You See Me? How Fish Play Hide and Seek (Activity, Grade 6)

By Matthew C. Hunnewell, Mary Carla Curran, and Michele B. Sherman

Activity on the different types of camouflage fish use to avoid predation and ensure survival. Students use classroom materials to replicate background matching by coloring and camouflaging a fish outline. Students are guided to see how coloration can influence survival. Both Next Generation Science Standards and Ocean Literacy Principles are addressed in this activity.

The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERR), located at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), coordinates Climate Education for a Changing Bay (CECB), a program on watershed educational experiences (MWEEs) that are integrated and systemic into the classroom curriculum. The objective of CECB is to improve climate literacy within local high schools by advancing the use of locally relevant environmental data and information in classroom curriculum, field experiences, and professional teacher training. Throughout the program, salt marshes are used as a model ecosystem to study the impacts of climate change.

Article on the The International Pacific Marine Educators Network Conference held in summer 2014 in Tokyo and Iwate Prefecture. Overview of the conference and focus on the possibilities for reconstruction after the tsunami and discussions on the contributions of marine education. Following the conference, the attendees went to Iwate prefecture to meet with local people living in the mountains, rivers, and coastal areas of the devastated region. Goal of the conference was to further strengthen the international network of marine education and to contribute to the sustainable utilization and conservation of global environments.

Let Me Grow! (Activity, Grades 7-8)

Activity looks at how ocean acidification affects coral reef growth. Students define/utilize pH acidity scale, explain carbon dioxide and its impact on atmosphere and the ocean. Connects pH, carbon cycle, and coral reef growth, as well as conservation issues related to ocean acidification and affects on coral reef ecosystem.

Mapping the Migration of American Eels (Activity, Grades 5-8)

By Chris Bowser and Rebecca Houser

Activity on the American eels along the East Coast and their reliance on the aquatic habitat from ocean to estuary to freshwater streams and ponds. By mapping the journey of young eels, students learn about migration, habitats, and oceans using math and graphic arts skills.

Hands-on scenario developed to introduce students to the concept of cumulative effects, why cumulative effects are a linchpin to managing for coastal impacts, and the challenges associated with managing for cumulative effects when faced with limited time and resources. By engaging in decisions while confronted by these cumulative effects challenges, students learn to apply the scientific and policy principles necessary to make their own management decisions. Coastal ecosystem management involves consideration of some of the most biologically diverse marine habitats. These ecosystems also represent a major interface of human activities and marine ecosystems, and are subject to impacts from both land and sea activities.

Activity asking students to describe a variety of wave energy devices, and identify which devices are best suited for which ocean space (nearshore or offshore technology).The devices also identify how changes in design can impact efficiency.